Hungarian ForMin Szijjártó: We would like diplomatic solution to Valea Uzului conflict

Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó Péter said in Arad on Monday that he would like a diplomatic solution to the conflict that started in Valea Uzului, with the official saying he is expecting from the Romanian Government also "a more positive attitude" towards the Hungarian community, for which the list of unresolved issues would be larger than that of the issues solved. 

"We would like the conflict in the Valea Uzului of late to be resolved on a diplomatic level, on a professional level, and we encourage these negotiations and meetings to take place between the two professional commissions and the Government of Romania to contribute to this fact. An important fact would be in the field of restitution, for example, or in the case of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Targu Mures, to have a continuation, a positive example, according to the rules in Romania. We consider that now it is very important to have a very stable and reliable bilateral relationship, because together Romania and Hungary can have a very important role in the region, in the area of Central and Eastern Europe," said the Budapest official. 

"We are confident that we can continue to have a relationship based on mutual respect. We are confident that if we strengthen the Hungarian community in Romania, it will also contribute to the relationship between the two countries, to be a stable and strategic partnership. We would like Romania, and the Government of Romania, to have a more positive attitude towards the Hungarian community," said Szijjártó Péter. 

Asked if there has been until now a positive attitude to meet the expectations of the Hungarian Government, the minister replied: "Unfortunately, the list of problems that are not solved is longer than that of the problems solved. Of course, there are positive elements and I have always emphasized this fact, it is very important to have this in mind, what we have in common. We are very glad that in Targu Mures, for example, the Catholic Theoretical High School has resumed its activity, but to have this as the only thing for several years ... I think yes, we would really need a more positive attitude. Now I have listed some current problems and if a solution were found for some of them, we would already be much more advanced with these bilateral relations". 

"If we, Hungary, have managed to have a stable and reliable relationship with Serbia, and with Slovakia we also have a very good and cooperative relationship, then why couldn't we have also with Romania?" the Budapest official asked. 

Szijjártó Péter also mentioned the support given by the Hungarian Government to the Hungarian communities in Romania. He said that "the third phase of the economic development program in Transylvania, in Szeckler community, in Harghita, Covasna and Mures counties, was immensely successful, we have reached 5,291 projects worth 21.4 billion forints," and now the Hungarian Government is "in the decision phase". The funded projects will take into account the UDMR's position, but also target the other counties with Hungarian population. 

Szijjártó Péter was only passing through Arad on Monday. He landed at the local airport to travel, on the pan-European motorway, to a locality in eastern Hungary, being greeted by UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor.